NEWS WAITAKI HERALD, SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 19 Percival wins by-election Corriedale ward members elected Guy Percival as councillor last week in a by-election. The newly-elected councillor was voted in following the departure of former councillor Sharyn Price. Results have Percival with 1063 votes followed by Jock Howie with 183. ‘‘I have called Mr Percival and congratulated him on his election as the new councillor for Corriedale ward,’’ Mayor Gary Kircher said. ‘‘We are keen to see him take his place and he will be sworn in at next Wednesday’s Council meeting.’’ Cr Price resigned in June after a serious medical emergency last January. ‘‘We were all saddened by the resignation of Sharyn Price. ‘‘She made a positive contribution during her time with us and I’m pleased to see that her recovery is going well. ‘‘I’m sure that Sharyn will also be pleased to see Mr Percival represent Corriedale and take over where she left off. ‘‘We are looking forward to working with Mr Percival and will be getting him up to speed with our work programme as quickly as possible,’’ Kircher said. New marketing manager: Ian Smith is settling into his new job as Marketing Manager at Tourism Waitaki. Photo: NICOLA WOLFE/FAIRFAX NZ Manager sees big potential Nowthat Tourism Waitaki’s new marketing manager, Ian Smith, has had time to settle in to his new role, reporter Nicola Wolfe caught up with him to find out what his hopes and dreams for the region are. T he new marketing manager at Tourism Waitaki believes the district has much to offer tourists. ‘‘I think we are very, very lucky we have lots of attractions, lots to market in the Waitaki District. We are just scratching the surface,’’ says Ian Elliott. Elliot, who has a management and business background, has been in his new role a month and is excited about where the district’s many attractions could lead the district in the future. He is particularly interested in biking and recreational tourism and believes we have yet to see the full potential of the Alps to Ocean trail. ‘‘It’s awareness is still quite low within New Zealand, but if we market it well, it could become a trail of international reputation,’’ he says. Early numbers however, indicate the trail could see it’s strongest summer yet, he says. However, Elliott would like to see an increase in the number of people riding the trail and staying longer in town. It’s not just an issue with the trail, however, but many people visit the area for a specific attraction, he says and he would like to encourage people to explore the district beyond their initial visit. The Victorian Precinct, the Heri- tage fest and the Penguin Colony all have something ‘‘special’’. ‘‘Ultimately we want to see more visitors came to the district who do more while they are here and stay longer,’’ he says. Heartland Match Heartland Matc Saturday 27th September 2014 McKeown Petroleum NO TH O AGO southcanterbur NORTHOTAGO south canterbury kick off 2.30pm Curtain Raiser - North Otago Develpment vs South Canterbury Kick Off 1pm 6307241AA Forsyth Barr Stadium - Dunedin Admission: Adults $10 Students u18 & Pensioners $5 Children u12 FREE